Loose stool in young rabbit

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

Ok, I have obtained a young buck (more info on my other thread under the general topics).

He's said to be a pure bred Havana, about 6 weeks old, maybe a pound in weight, broken grey/white coloring. He's from a pet store and I'm not sure what they or my 'friends' were feeding him. I don't think he has eaten anything from the garbage since he was still in the box when we found him.

I have him (along with my other rabbits) on Purina Complete rabbit chow, and alfalfa hay (kaytee is the brand). They have fresh pellets, hay and water at all times along with a few chew toys.

Now, my second girl has on-and-off loose stool that I have been monitoring, tho we've only had her a week.

But this little guy is the one with the problem. He just came to live with us today, but I have already noticed that he has runny stool that does have a bit of bad smell to it. I'm not sure if it could be the changing in his diet or lack of hay (the pet store and 'friend' were not giving him hay) or what. I have read a little about adding Bene-Bac into their water/food, has anyone tried that? If not what should I do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ra7751]

Umm....you have a young buck that isn't fully weaned yet. Domestic rabbits are not fully weaned until about 8 weeks old. You might want to add a probiotic like Bene Bac to the diet. If there are horse people in your area, see if anyone has a product called BioSponge. This product is used in horses to bind toxins during a GI event. Also make sure hydration is up to par. Hydration before nurition. And a smell could indicate intestinal parasites. Coccidia in particular has a lovely odor.

Randy

 

[Pipp]

Unfortunately it can be serious in young bunnies. Your little guy has been through a lot for his age. I'd really check into that BioSponge as Randy recommended.

ETA: Also... Hydration and fiber = hay and water.

Here's our Library entry on Diarrhea/Loose Stools.

Diarrhea

I find this article to have good descriptions:

Enteritis Complexes: Coccidiosis, Mucoid Enteropathy, and Enterotoxemia (Pamela Alley) - describes the different intestinal ailments that commonly cause diarrheain rabbits.
http://www.showbunny.com/gastrointestinal.htm



sas ray:

 

[tonyshuman]

Usually, young rabbits with loose stool are an emergency situation. They can go downhill very quickly--within a matter of hours they can be dead.

There are a few drugs that I would like to see considered in a young bunny with loose stools. They're Biosponge and Questran (both are drugs that can bind bacterial toxins and keep them from poisoning the rabbit), as well as Albon (sulfadimethoxine) or Flagyl (metronidazole) (both are antiparasitic/antibiotics). Flagyl would be the better of these two as it can treat a broader range of bad guys in the GI and is also anti-inflammatory. Albon works mostly against coccidia.

Rabbit GI's contain a lot of bacteria that are important for digesting food. These are present in the cecum and the other intestines. With a young bunny, the bacterial populations of the GI are not stable and if stress occurs, the rabbit's food changes, weather changes, they're separated from the mom too early, or any other of a number of issues happens, the bacterial population can get out of whack. The good bacteria keep the bad bacteria levels low, and if the good bacteria die off, the bad bacteria take over, which can cause runny stool, dehydration, inability to take in nutrients, poisoning from bacterial toxins, and death. Coccidia is a parasite that can also act like the bad bacteria in this situation.

So, hay and water, plus get to a vet and get some probiotic into them--not yogurt or anything milk-based, but something like ProBios (found in farm stores) or BeneBac (found in pet stores). The vet can help treat the bacterial overgrowth. Another option if a vet isn't possible is to find an experienced rabbit breeder nearby. Many keep a stock of Flagyl or Albon to treat their own bunnies.

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

Yeah I'm worried about what I've been reading and I've made an appointment with the vet for tomorrow so I'm hoping all this gets figured out.

 

[ra7751]

If it's coccidia...the safest and best treatment is Ponazuril. Many vets still use older treatments that have been proven ineffective and in some cases, particularly rabbits with the delicate GI, potentially harmful. In an ideal world, if it's coccidia, the best treatment is the rabbit's own immune system. Regardless, I suggest doing everything possible to make like easy on this bun so his immune system can work it's magic. If he has worms, the most often prescribed dewormer is Panacur (available under several brand names).

Randy

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

Well my vet was brief as she had another appointment (I'll gather more information once I return from picking up the paperwork and seeing the meds). But she did find a parasite in his stool, but she said it was common since when my friend bought him he was a 'pet shop' bun. Other than that she said he did look pretty good and she wasn't too too worried about the parasite since it sounds like we caught it at a good time. I also picked up some Bene-Bac which she recommended to give him about half a tube every few days.

Other than that she just told us to keep him with fresh water, hay and pellets and he'll slowly blend into our life.

 

[elrohwen]

Did she prescribe any meds for the parasite?

I'm glad you got him into the vet and I hope he gets over his parasite soon!

 

[kirbyultra]

No meds were given for the parasite, which is presumably coccidia?

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

They had to wait I guess for the test results, and I just picked up Albon from the vet (my doctor was on an emergency run tho) and I'm going over the paperwork now.

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

Well, I just gave him his first course (.8 ml today and then .4 ml daily until it's gone) and I'll see how he progresses. He's drinking water well and eating decently. His runny stool doesn't look 'as bad' as it did yesterday, but it's wait too early for any changes to happen.

But he's bright eye, full of energy and eating well, so I hope he pulls through all of this easily.

 

[ra7751]

I may not have mentioned this....but Albon is ineffective against coccidia. It is an antiobiotic and a sulfanomide at that. This type of drug is very stressful to the beneficial bacteria and even more so in a rabbit that is already compromised. The Albon thing has been around for years for lack of another treatment but we now know it is mostly ineffective and potentially harmful to a hind gut fermenter. The best treatment for coccidia is a strong immune system. If a drug is used, Ponazuril is the drug of choice against coccidia. And coccidia is a naturally growing parasite in the GI of many species.....and many vets go overboard if even one "fried egg" is found. It's not so much that it is there....it's the numbers.

Randy

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

Hm, well I'm confused, the paperwork doesn't specify what the parasite was that was found and they're closed now, so what would be my best action?

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

NORMAL! I let him out for a few minutes to stretch his legs and this good little guy had his first full (lots and lots) run of normal little poops. :biggrin2:I know it sounds weird but I've never been happier to see poop!

 

[Pipp]

:yahoo:

 

[elrohwen]

Yay!!

Us bunny owners get very excited about poop ;-)

 

[tonyshuman]

I have a question for you, Randy, about Albon. I know the dangers of using sulfa drugs in rabbits, due to GI distress and Tyzzer's disease, but what's the evidence that it's ineffective against coccidia? That's it's intended application and it's pretty commonly used for that. Most vets don't have access to Ponazuril on short notice, so is there another option to treat coccidia if Albon isn't the answer?

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

Update:

Day two of nice normal droppings. I've continued with the albin along with alittlebit of bene-bac.He's starting to enjoy his alfalfa hay and cubes and is eating pellets and drinking water very well, he also has become increasingly more active in and outside of his crate and seems much happier and more relaxed about everything.

 

[tonyshuman]

Hope that continues!

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

April 4th-

He has continued to show good signs, normal stooland is eating a ton of hay now.